Gunman used stolen rifle to kill two, injure one at Clackamas Town Center mall

A group huddles in the back room of a pet store at Clackamas Town Center.

CLACKAMAS, OR (KPTV) -

A 22-year-old man from southeast Portland parked his car outside Macy's, rushed into the Clackamas Town Center mall food court and opened fire, killing two people Tuesday, investigators said.

Jacob Roberts' AR-15 rifle then jammed, but he was able to get the gun working again. He shot and killed himself, sheriff's deputies said.

Steve Forsyth, of West Linn, and Cindy Yuille, of northeast Portland, were killed by Roberts, authorities said. A third shooting victim, Kristina Shevchenko, survived and is being treated at Oregon Health & Science University hospital.

Deputies said Roberts stole the rifle used in the shooting from someone he knew. During the shooting rampage, he wore a hockey-style facemask, a load-bearing vest and carried several fully-loaded magazines.

Investigators have since served a search warrant at Roberts' home on Southeast 84th Avenue, and on his car, a 1996 Volkswagen Jetta found in the mall parking lot, but they have not released details about what they found.

One neighbor told FOX 12 she saw Roberts leave his house quickly while carrying a guitar case around 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Dispatchers started receiving 911 calls about the shooting around 3:30 p.m. Roberts parked his car in the mall's south lot near Macy's, then went through Macy's toward the food court, deputies said.

He shot and killed Yuille and Forsyth in the food court, then moved past the Macy's Home Store and into a service stairwell, the sheriff's office said.

He then went down onto the lower floor of the mall and headed toward J.C. Penney's, where he was found dead by police 22 minutes after the first 911 call.

At some point during the attack, Roberts wounded Shevchenko, but it wasn't immediately clear where that happened because the teen managed to exit the mall near REI.

The motive for the attack is unknown, and it doesn't appear Roberts knew Forsyth, Yuille or Shevchenko.

Deputies said they believe Roberts acted alone. He does not have any significant criminal history in the region.

Witnesses said they saw Roberts jogging through Macy's and others reported seeing him pull out the gun and open fire in the food court area. Witnesses said customers and employees ran for whatever cover they could find.

Witness Kelly Lay said the shooter did not appear to have an intended target. Lay was ordering a burrito at Taco Time in the food court when he heard the shots.

"All I could really see was gunshots and people scattering everywhere," Lay said.

"When he ran right by my car, he dropped something. It was a thing full of bullets. It was ammo," said another witness.

"Our car was right by the doors. Next thing we know I see a guy sprinting toward the entrance with a gun. I thought it was a joke. We were in shock."

The manager at Buckle said a SWAT team went behind the store around 4:15 p.m. They had 15 people locked down in the store at the time.

Meanwhile, an employee at Champs Sports was on the phone with Fox 12 when he said they were being evacuated and hung up. Workers at Billabong had 14 people locked down in the store while investigators were at the scene. Some shoppers told Fox 12 they ran into Fuego after hearing shots.

Lockdown and closures

Gov. John Kitzhaber released a statement saying: "My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. I appreciate the work of the first responders and their quick reaction to this tragic shooting."

La Salle High School was put into lockdown because of the shooting. Parents were advised to pick up their students at the main entrance of the school. Basketball games at the school were canceled for Tuesday.

The North Clackamas Aquatic Center also closed down for the evening.

TriMet buses that serve the Clackamas Town Center were being detoured because of the crime scene.

At the request of police, TriMet also provided warming buses for witnesses and employees at the scene.

The Clackamas Town Center released a statement shortly after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. It said:

"Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was in the mall at the time of this unfortunate incident. We are grateful to have the stellar support of all the law enforcement agencies and rescue personnel in the area, who immediately took action and continue to ensure the safety of everyone remaining on property. The mall will remain closed tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 12."

The mall will continue to be closed as long as the investigation is continuing, according to the sheriff's office. There is no timeline yet to reopen the Clackamas Town Center.

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